Weekend Wrap-up

Our weekend began with a cake designed to look like the Boise temple. I made it for a Relief Society meeting, and the girls had so much fun helping me. Be sure to notice our Angel Moroni (tie tac!).

We woke up to snow on Saturday, so Todd and the girls quickly went to work before it all melted away.

Every Saturday the kids get bathed, and I braid the girls' hair for church. This has become difficult with Ty around. He is always climbing on the girls because I usually have them sit on the floor. So I had the genius idea of having them sit on a barstool. It worked great with Magsy, but I was too short to braid Bronwyn's hair while she sat up there. So I compensated by standing on the chair behind her. Before I knew it, Magsy was trying to sit between my legs and Ty was trying to climb up on my chair. Todd snapped this shot just as I was losing my balance! The lengths I go to to look like we have it together on Sunday!

No post is complete without an adorable picture of Ty. He sure loves playing with his birthday balloon!

Fastest Year of My Life!

It is true that the older you get, the faster time goes. I can hardly believe that I created 3 kids in just 4 years! And it's even harder to believe that my "baby" is one year old! I have had many sleepless nights with sick/crying kids, that seem to last forever. But somehow the weeks/months/years continue to come and go so quickly. If I sound melancholy, it's because I AM! I really wish I could slow things down. Enjoy and savor things longer. If I had the choice, I would choose to completely relive the last year of my life, as it was one of the best I've ever had.

My sister spent Ty's birthday week with us, and it was almost as awesome as her bandana. :) Ty LOVED his auntie! The girls loved taking funny pictures together, and I just loved having my twin around for several days.

Anyone else notice the similar profiles? Here Ty is with Grandpa Bigelow at his birthday party.

Here I am leading Ty to his birthday present from Todd and me. I wrapped it in a blanket because I'm cool like that.

Ty loves his activity table from us! Actually, all the kids at the party thought it was pretty fun!

My mom has also spent the week with us. Here she is with her sassy new hairstyle!

Ty ate TWO pieces of pumpkin cake! It was so fun to watch him. He loved all of his gifts and dessert. He is just such a good boy! I love this little guy sooooooo much!

4 years and counting...

February 2005

February 2006

February 2007

February 2008

February 2009

February 2010

Valentines 2010

In honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to do a post highlighting some of many things I love about my family, starting with Todd. First and foremost, I love that he loves me and chose me to be his wife! I love the 10 years we have spent together, and the beautiful family we have created. I love that he worked hard in his education so that he can provide for us, and I can stay home with the kiddos. I love his family, and I love our life here in Boise!

He may not believe me, but I love that he is a dreamer. He is SO creative and full of ideas. Every now and then I do have to get his head out of the clouds, but I do love that side of him. I love seeing his eyes light up and hear the excitement in his voice when he tells me about his latest and greatest idea. There definitely is a million dollar idea in that noggin!

I love that he is SUCH a great dad. Like most men, Todd comes home from work tired, hungry, often frustrated, etc., but is ALWAYS ready to take the baby or tickle the girls. He is bombarded from the second he walks in the door, and he never complains. He can tell when one of the kids needs a little extra daddy time, and he makes it happen. He is very in tune to our childrens' needs, and puts them first because he wants to, not because he should.

I love his support and belief in me. Todd has played in integral role in my business and it's success. Even during the years that my business was really more of an expensive hobby, he could see the potential and kept me motivated when I wanted to throw in the towel. He is so understanding when I get called to a birth at 2:00 am, and is thrilled for my success. Would it be too cheesy to say he is the wind beneath my wings? Probably, but I said it anyway because it's true!

There really is only one thing that I don't love about Ty: his inability to sleep through the night! UG. But other than that, he is 100% lovable! I love how he loves me. How he lights up whenever he sees me coming towards him. I love how he loves to snuggle. I love how when I walk into his room to put him to bed, he instantly puts his head on my shoulder and starts humming while I sing him his lullaby. I love how he loves being a part of our family. He is always so excited when the 5 of us are just hanging out together, and he gets to crawl all over everyone and be involved. He is the perfect addition to our family!

Just thought of one other thing that I DON'T love: how quickly he is growing up!

So much about Magsy is cute, funny, adorable.... Her voice, animation, body language, all of it cracks me up and brightens my day. I love her zest and personality. It is really hard to explain unless you know her, so I am not doing her much justice.

Magsy loves to snuggle, and still seems so tiny. I love picking her up and dancing with her. She has such a natural ability with dance, and we love dancing together. We had a ward Valentine party on Friday, and while all the other kids were running around the gym, Magsy and I were practicing ballet. We have SO much fun together.

Selfishly, I love that Mags still lets me call the shots now and then. She can throw a trantrum, but usually will settle down quickly and come to grips with whatever limitation I have set. I also selfishly love that when she is tired she doesn't fight it. She often asks if it is time for her to go to sleep yet. Ahhh... A child who loves sleep. I love that!

Bronwyn becomes more and more lovable all the time. Obviously, I have always loved her, but life with her hasn't always been easy. I love the huge amount of progress she has made. I love her courage. Just last week she was at the Pediatrician, and the nurse commented on how fast Bronwyn's little heart was beating. I knew she was nervous, because any medical appointment makes Bronwyn feel very anxious and nervous. But she was sitting quietly, and being very agreeable with the nurse. I was so proud of her. She is really growing up and trying hard. In every setting of her life I have seen so much improvement. Overall, she is happier, more confident, more loving, more friendly, and more agreeable. I LOVE how much stress that takes off of the family, and I LOVE that she isn't being held hostage by her issues anymore.

I love watching Brownyn gain her own testimony. Her eyes light up when we teach her gospel prinicples, and she frequently asks to hear stories about Joseph Smith and Nephi. She loves Primary and Family Home Evening. I love hearing her correct adults who will simplify church stories! Which takes me to the next thing I love about her, her AMAZING memory. This child remembers EVERYTHING, and it is hilarious! She will bring up the most random things from literally years ago, right out of the blue. I will ask her how she remembers that, and she will reply "That's just how Heavenly Father made me!". So funny and awesome.


I love that both of the girls love to sing, since singing was such an important part of my childhood. They love to make up songs, and will often sing to me instead of talk to me. Here they are singing their latest song: "The Nature in the Breeze". Enjoy!

Goodbye Blah, Hello Love.

I never have anything to show for January. It is a month of cleaning up Christmas, and then trying to figure out how to entertain kids during the coldest month of the year. The lack of snow hasn't helped either. This is really the only cute picture I got all month. So I welcome February! Now we are busy making valentines and decorating the house, and the winter blahs are fleeting. Thank you February for having a holiday to look forward to!

It is hard to believe that Todd and I are about the celebrate the TEN YEAR anniversary of our first kiss! On February 2nd, 2000, Todd and I had what we call "the practice room night". We both had little crushes on eachother, and spent alot of extra time at the practice rooms hoping to run into eachother. Well, it finally happened on 2/2/2000. Todd found me in the hall and invited me into his room to sing him a song. Being the "exhibitionist" that I was, I was more than eager to sing for him, and be alone in a room with him! He then played me a song on the piano, and we have been entertaining eachother for a decade now.

I remember going home that night (yes, I still lived at home) and telling my parents that I would either never see him again or marry him. I'm glad the latter was true. We had our first date on Feb. 10th, a second date on Feb. 12th (along with a goodnight kiss); and before I knew it I was falling asleep on his shoulder during devotional. Fast forward 9 months, and Todd proposed to me in the very same practice room. Very romantic, and of course there was a song as well.

I am really just putting this picture in this post because I am so young and beautiful in it. :) It is Valentine's Day, 2003 or 2004.... Either way, I hadn't had kids yet, and it shows!

Anyways... I never would have guessed all that has happened to Todd and me in the last 10 years. Sure, I knew we would graduate, have a family, hopefully find a job etc. etc. etc. But our 10 years have been rich with experience, good and bad. Here are some highlights:

2 Associates Degrees
2 Bachelors Degrees
1 Masters Degree
2 Moves
11 Jobs
3 Kids
1 Brain Surgery
8 Family deaths
3 years of extreme sleep deprivation
10 Church Callings
4 Vehicles
0 Arguments (cough cough)

And to cap it all off, here are all 5 of us in our practice room last summer. It is amazing to think that all of this is a result of a conversation that took place in this room, over a decade ago. But I'm so glad that it happened, and I look forward to see where the next 10 years take us!

Damage Control

I cannot believe my baby is 10 months old already! Before I know it I will be planning his first birthday party. I am entering a stage of motherhood that I call "damage control". It basically means that I spend ALL of my time making sure that Ty doesn't get into anything too dangerous, messy, or already claimed by his territorial sisters. Gone are the days of me relaxing during naptime, as it is my only time during the day to try and restore some sense of organization to our home. It has been quite a while since I had mobile baby, and I am seeing why I was so exhausted having the girls so close together! But despite it all, it is pretty darn cute seeing my little guy crawling everywhere, pulling himself up on anything he can hold on to, and basically exploring everything around him.

I really should have cropped and rotated this picture, but oh well! Ty HATES holding still for a diaper change, and frequently escapes before I can get a new diaper on him. I am going to jinx myself by saying this, but in 10 months I have only been peed on once by him! And our carpet is still pee free. I'm sure that will change!

Here is Ty's first haircut on New Year's Day. Behind his ears he had a patch of long hair. It was actually kind of cute, and would get all messed up every time he nursed. But he was starting to pull on it, and I think it bothered him. So it is gone now. :( This picture cracks me up because he is holding my new lipstick.

Below is a video of Ty showing off his speaking skills. His first word is officially "Dada", and Todd is just eating it up! I will be holding Ty and Todd will walk into the room and Ty will immediately start saying "Dada". I am a little jealous, but I still think Ty loves me best. :)

New Years' Rockin' Eve!

Who needs Dick Clark when you can have your own dance party? Not us! We celebrated New Year's Eve in style... with the kiddos! We ate dinner at Red Robin, spent our Christmas money at Target, then came home to boogie. I am LOVING my "Guilty Pleasures: Delicious Grooves from the 90's" CD from Santa. :) The girls had a blast taking turns teaching us dances. Todd is such a good sport, as you will see in the first video. (which is regretfully sideways, because I keep forgetting that I shouldn't record in that direction...grr!) We had a great time.

After the kids were in bed, Todd and I played games all night. I kept falling asleep, but was determined to see the ball drop. 2009 wasn't exactly a great sleeping year for me, and I would really love to get to sleep through the night at least ONCE during 2010!

Aside from sleep deprivation, 2009 was one of the best years of my life. I am actually sad to see it go. It seems like every year of motherhood just gets better and better, but I am a little nervous to have a little toddler boy! :) 2010 will surely keep me on my toes!